Dutch-manufactured gel lead-acid battery ready for residential use

ESS4U, a new company from parent TSS4U, a Dutch off-grid solar specialist and engineering firm, has launched a new battery designed for residential use. It is based on what’s old-is-new-again technology: lead-acid, with a twist.

The battery is a gel lead-acid implementation, developed in collaboration with VDL Groep, a diversified Dutch manufacturer in energy, mobility, tech, and more. It features an integrated charging system designed by ESS4U, which optimizes battery life and performance.

A Qurmit system can store 17.6 kWh of energy, discharging at 2.4 kW and charging at 2 kW. The downside is the weight: the system weighs 550kg, versus a more common home battery, such as the Tesla Powerwall 3, for example, which stores 13.5 kWh and weighs 130kg, using lithium iron phosphate (LFP) chemistry.

Still, the advantages of the Qurmit are that the batteries operate between -40 to 55 degrees Celsius, beating LFP batteries at the low and high end, have no such thermal runaway or fire risk, and components are sourced entirely from Europe, claims the company, and made in Eindhoven.

In addition, recycling is far simpler, and the system can be used indoors and outdoors with an IP44 rating. The company claims a lifespan of 20 years.

Dop Brzesowsky, Managing Director at ESS4U, said: “We have many years of experience in using gel technology for large industrial off-grid solar energy projects. After thorough research and an extensive test period, we are now at the point where we can offer this fire-safe technology in the form of a home battery. The battery cells of the Qurmit consist of 50% recycled material and the entire home battery is recyclable for 95% at the end of its life.”

Brzesowsky continued: “Because our Qurmit home battery is fireproof, we also solve the insurance problem for small businesses that want to purchase a (home) battery. Their insurance often does not cover damage caused by home batteries based on lithium-ion technology, unless specific additional measures are taken, such as fire- and explosion-proof spaces.”

The company told Netherlands-based media that it aims to offer a 90 kVA system storing 740 kWh of energy for the commercial and industrial segment.

So far, installers offering the home battery are located in the Netherlands only.